1. Field of the Disclosed Embodiments
This disclosure relates to systems and methods for forming electrically-activated filter layers and shutter components including energy/light directing or scattering layers that are actively electrically switchable between a first mode in which the layers, and thus the presentation of the shutter component, appear substantially transparent (or translucent) to impinging energy when viewed from an energy/light incident side and a second mode in which the layers, and thus the presentation of the shutter component, appear opaque to the impinging energy when viewed from the energy/light incident side, by uniquely implementing energy/light directing/scattering techniques in energy/light transmissive layers, and to objects, object portions, wall plates, lenses, filters, screens and the like that are formed of, or that otherwise incorporate, such electrically-activated layers and/or shutter components.
2. Related Art
An ability to provide or promote selectable transmission of electromagnetic energy, including light in the visual or near-visual radiofrequency (RF) spectrum through layers, materials, screens, structures or structural components provide substantial benefit in a number of real-world use cases and applications.
In the Background Section of the related EE1-P1 and EE1-P2 cases identified above, certain of these real-world use cases and applications are discussed in detail. The different uses of windows, skylights and the like, whether left transparent, or otherwise frosted, tinted or treated in some manner, in allowing the interiors of structures to be “naturally” sunlit are examples. Modification of the transparent lighting capability of a particular window is useful to address certain concerns including privacy and security, and to provide certain selected aesthetics (in the use of, for example, stained-glass windows). It is recognized that clear (transparent) windows may be usable in some scenarios, while surface, or internally, treated windows may be usable in other scenarios. In generally all techniques employed to modify the energy/light transmissive properties of a particular window, or window pane, whether formed of glass or other transparent material, it is recognized that light passing through those windows, in either direction, is generally affected by whatever treatment is applied on, or in, the individual glass or other material windows or window panes substantially equally in both directions.
Window treatments are also provided that result in a substantially one-way mirror (also referred to in some instances as a two-way mirror). The one-way mirror panels are particularly formed to be partially reflective, and partially transparent, by tuning the optical properties of the panels to produce an optical “trick” based on differential lighting between opposing surfaces of the mirror. It is noted that the intensity of the light has to be differential between the two sides of the one-way mirror because, in actuality, the light energy always passes through the mirror again substantially equally in both directions. Thus, the principle of operation is to keep one side brightly lit rendering that side “difficult” to see through based on the principle that the reflected light masks visual penetration of the mirror from the brightly lit side. The very effect that is intended, in that a substantial portion of the incident light be reflected back from the “lighted” side of the mirror, provides a substantially non-modifiable adverse transmissive property of the ambient light on the lighted side of the panel through the panel. High-end vehicle window tinting accomplishes essentially the same effect in adding an inner or outer reflective layer. The configuration of the substantially darkened tinting is known to adversely affect a light transmissive property, for example, when observed from an outside of the vehicle to an inside of the vehicle, which is necessarily darkened or shaded in a non-discriminant manner.
Recently, advertising schemes have emerged in which what is commercially described as a “View Through Vinyl” is applied to windows to provide what, at first observation, appears to be opaque signage, often in the form of a particular advertisement, formed on office windows, on a bus windows, or on other like glass surface that is selected for ease of application, and removal as necessary of the vinyl application. The vinyl application can be effectively “viewed-through” from the non-image side based on the applied vinyl film (generally having a printed image side and an adhesive-bearing non-image side) being perforated with pinholes that may be preferably in a range of 1.5 mm in diameter typically in a 65/35 pattern in which 35% of the graphics on the printed side are removed to produce a fine mesh window covering. Such a perforation scheme leaves enough printed design on the observation side that the signage “appears” opaque, while removing enough of the vinyl material from the film to provide see-through visibility from the non-printed or non-image side. These schemes are further limited by necessarily requiring that particular dimensions of a window area to be covered are known, and the window area must be available for the view-through vinyl to be applied thereto.
Separately, there are certain manufactured fabrics that appear to be opaque to observation, but that allow for the transmission of particular wavelengths of electromagnetic energy, including visible light rays, or near-visible light rays. Descriptions of such material and their uses are found in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,798 to Riedel (Issued May 21, 1996) describing a composition of a particular material that transmits sunlight, and to the swimwear and light-protective wear made from the material, and in U.K. Patent Application Publication No. 2 461 488 to Lanham-New (Published Mar. 8, 2011) directed to articles of headwear formed of a material that appears substantially opaque as observed, but the transmits sunlight in an effort to reduce, for example, a vitamin D deficiency in the wearer.
Remote sensors for discerning all manner of environmental factors and/or activities in a particularly-monitored area through the collection and analysis of electromagnetic energy elements present in the particularly-monitored area continue to gain broader proliferation and acceptance as new and unique employment scenarios emerge. In the fields of area observation, surveillance and monitoring, still and video cameras, and all manner of visual light, and near-visual light, reactive sensors are often employed. Depending on the nature of the area observation, surveillance or monitoring, it may be preferable to conceal or camouflage the presence of a particular camera or other electromagnetic energy sensor in order that a presence of the camera or other sensor goes largely undetected to casual observers or intruders in the monitored areas. Other considerations include that it may simply be preferable to unobtrusively embed the cameras or sensors in a particular structure in a manner that does not adversely affect the aesthetics of the structure. A difficulty is that conventional attempts to conceal, camouflage or otherwise hide the lenses of the cameras, or the image or other energy receivers of the sensors, generally indiscriminately and/or disadvantageously modify the characteristics of the visual, or near-visual, light passing through the concealment to the cameras or sensors devices, this modification of the characteristics of the energy passing through the layer can, and generally does, adversely affect their operation in a concealed operational employment scenario.
In the field of energy collection, and energy harvesting, photovoltaic cells, or other photocells, are often advantageously employed on or in a particular structure to convert ambient light to electricity. The efficiency of a particular photocell is affected by its capacity to absorb, and/or to minimize reflectance of, incident light upon the surface of the photocell. For this reason, photocells are generally formed to have dark, normally black or dark grey, exposed light-facing or light-incident (“facial”) surfaces. Maximum efficiency is achieved when the dark facial surface is exposed to unfiltered light in the visible, or near-visible, spectrum. It is for this reason that, in virtually all conventional installations, the photocells are mounted unmodified on an external surface of a structure either (1) fully exposed, or (2) exposed behind a clear glass, clear plastic or similar clear (transparent) protective outer structural layer that transmits the visual, or near-visual light, in a month modified matter, to the facial surfaces of the photocells. A significant drawback to the wider proliferation of photocells used in a number of potentially beneficial operating or employment scenarios is that such “required” installations, in many instances, adversely affects the aesthetics of the structure or object on which the photocells are to be mounted for use. Presence of photocells in a particular installation is, therefore, easily visually distinguishable. For this reason alone, inclusion of photocells in particular installations, or in association with certain structures, objects or products is often avoided. Manufacturers generally make these decisions based on the photocells, when installed, becoming visual detractors or distractors to the appearance or ornamental design of the structures, objects or products on which photocells may be otherwise advantageously applied and employed.
The last several decades have seen an explosion in the proliferation of electronic visual display components of every shape and size to provide information display, enhanced entertainment, changeable signage and the like. As technology has advanced, particularly in an in-home or in-office operating environment, much effort has been put toward attempting to render display components, even as they become more ubiquitous, less obtrusive. Television and other in-home entertainment display components, as an example, even as bulky CRT display units have been substantially replaced by flat screen display units, are often “hidden” in cabinets, or sometimes camouflaged behind smoke-glass façades.